NHL Challenge: Bruins Bash Giants 5-1, Giants Goalie Murphy Shines Despite Loss

After a slow start in Belfast, the Boston Bruins soundly defeat the Aer Lingus Belfast Giants, but it wasn't a sound trashing from the first whistle.  That came later.

Boston was down a goal in the latter half of the second period when Jade Galbraith scored the lone goal for the Giants held true to be the team's lead with just 4:24 left of the second period.  Then the wheels came off...

Rookie Tyler Seguin scored on the power play with just 1:36 left of the period on a rebound to knot it up at one apiece.

Big Z scores just 21 seconds later and Brad Marchand bagged one for a 45-second, three-goal comeback.  What was once a one goal deficit for the Bruins, quickly turned out to be a two goal lead by the second period's buzzer.

The Bruins seemed to, all of a sudden, awoke with the realization that this team, or their goalie for that matter, shouldn't be taken so lightly at this time.

Boston's Milan Lucic scores near the halfway mark of the final frame and the final goal was scored on a penalty shot by Seguin for his second tally of the night.

Seguin earned the Man of the Match award.

At the final buzzer, the Bruins soundly defeat the Giants 5-1, but the light cannot be taken off Giant's Netminder, Stephen Murphy who stopped 40 shots in what proved to be a very busy night.  Despite the loss, Murphy was high on emotion.

"It was a dream outing," Murphy told NHL.com. "It could have been five goals after the first period."

Murphy admitted that at the end of the game, he felt exhausted from the relentless play at the hands of the Bruins.

"By the end of the game, I could feel the toll of what they were doing on me," Murphy told NHL.com. "It was getting harder and harder."

He and his team mates expected as much but the respect for Murphy was on both ends of the ice.

Bruins coach Claude Julien said as much.

"He battled and kept his team in there for quite awhile," Julien said. "In the first period, I thought we were moving the puck well and we controlled the play, but we didn't get anything out of it and we came out of that period with no goals.

"He deserved a lot of credit for keeping his team in the game. He was outstanding tonight."

Win or lose for the Giants, it was a win for Belfast.  Not only did they get to see an NHL team in action, but they got to see an NHL team from a city with Irish roots as vast as the rolling green hills of Erin's Isle.  Not often you get to see a hockey game where you can legitimately cheer for both teams.

Next up is the HC Liberec team in Liberec, Czech Republic before they head to Prague for the NHL opener against the Phoenix Coyotes.

HC Liberec is captained by none other than Petr Nedved.  During his NHL days, Nedved had great success aganst the Bruins earning 39 points in 45 games.  Although he is a NHL elderly 38-years old, the same could be said of the Bruins' own Mark Recchi.  Don't count this game to be the same cakewalk that happened in Belfast.

This is Cory Ducey saying "Hit Hard, But Keep It Clean"